Still another method is the word association test employed by Jung and others. A list of a hundred common words is prepared, and the patient is asked to mention the first word that comes to his mind when a word from the list is called. By testing normal persons, or persons free from mental complexes, it has been found that those free from complexes, respond in a definite time. The neurotic takes longer when certain words which have a relation to his trouble are called. The delays in responding, as well as other deviations, are taken as indicative of association with the complex; the delays are caused because the certain words remind the unconscious of something unpleasant. By coming back to these words and asking the patient to allow his thoughts to flow freely in association with them, buried experiences are often reproduced.

Breur, and later his pupil, Freud, were in the '80's employing hypnotism in the treatment of certain nervous affections. They discovered that by merely bringing to light a painful experience of the past the nervous troubles often disappeared. Freud later gave up hypnotism, having devised a method which he considered much superior to it. In this method he placed his patients in a quiescent state, free from distractions, and asked them to relate whatever thoughts came to their minds, whether or not the thoughts seemed to have any relation to their maladies. He found that in this way one idea led to another, so that, eventually, the experience which was causing trouble was arrived at. He found, also, that often during the procedure the patients came to a point where they refused to continue; they said that the thought that had come up was too silly, had nothing to do with their sickness, etc. By urging them to continue without reserve, he learned that the desire to terminate the examination was due to something unpleasant which had come to the patient's mind, and which he did not care to divulge. As a result of his investigations, Freud arrived at the conclusion that neurotics were neurotics because they repressed from mind certain shocks, griefs, desires, etc., which were usually of a painful nature, which one does not like to think about. These repressed thoughts became unconscious, and made themselves externally manifest only indirectly in the form of various physical or mental disorders, which, when thoroughly studied, had a striking resemblance to the repressed material. Further, Freud came to the belief that most of the experiences were received in childhood, and that they were related to the sex life of an individual. By sex, however, the grossly sexual is not implied, but whatever may relate to the love life of an individual. It thus refers to the yearning for love, for marriage, for children, for the affection of a parent, etc.

Freud named his method of mental exploration the psycho-analytic method, or psycho-analysis; his followers are called psycho-analysts or psychanalysts.

In place of resorting to such free associations as may be obtained in the above manner, psycho-analysts almost invariably centre their attention on the patient's dreams.

Since they are followers of Freud, the dream is to them of great significance, particularly for the solution of nervous troubles. Dreams are free thoughts, which, though modified by the endopsychic censor, are symbolic of the ideas which are responsible for the neurotic symptoms. Though the dream appears nonsensical, yet it arises from mental operations, and it has a definite meaning when fully analysed. When fully analysed, it is replete with information relative to the material with which the psychic life is stored, and indicates the complexes and other disturbing factors which are causing disharmony.

When the psycho-analyst intends to study his patient's dreams he asks the patient to relate a dream he or she has had recently. Naturally many persons say they never dream, but usually they find that they are mistaken. Even should a dream be not recalled, the patient may be asked to make up a dream, and, it is believed, these artificial dreams do as well. After writing down the dream, the patient is asked to let his thoughts flow freely in connection with the dream; the psycho-analyst may take up the first sentence, and then pass on to the next, or he may select certain parts. The thoughts that the patient expresses may be written down by the analyser, or the latter may simply listen to the patient. Finally when the whole dream has been analysed, the psycho-analyst decides just which experiences of the patient's life, as revealed by the analysis, are responsible for the present ills. He may reach a conclusion after the study of one dream; more often the analysis of several dreams is required. When he discovers the cause of the patient's nervousness, he explains this to him, and utilizes his knowledge of normal and abnormal psychology in other ways toward restoring mental equilibrium.

The analysis of a simple dream occupying not more than two or three lines when written, would require a dozen or more pages; it might be mentioned that one writer has published a dream analysis which covered 76 printed pages. For this reason we cannot go into the actual analysis except in a general way. The following are a few examples which will give the reader some idea of the application of the method.

Dr. Coriat, of Boston, has described1 the interesting case of a girl, aged 11, who was blind, had a nervous cough, convulsions, and other troubles of a nervous nature.' An examination of the eyes and other parts of the body revealed no organic disease that would account for her various disorders. It was learned that the little girl had gradually become blind while her mother was absent for a few weeks, during which time partial care of the house and the younger children was forced upon her. She resented this labour since it interfered with her play. It was also learned that she was very jealous of the younger children; she had accused her parents, at Christmas, of taking more interest in her brothers' and sisters' presents than in hers; she felt badly unless her mother took her to entertainments to the exclusion of the other children. The conclusion was arrived at that the girl was a victim of hysteria; her troubles were not due to some actual organic disease but to a mental conflict. Jealous and resentful, the idea came to her